Private investigator provides closer look at 2021 Blackfoot death; Mayor requests PI report on alleged shortcomings
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BLACKFOOT — Kye Stephenson was found dead with a single gunshot wound to the head in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, 2021.
Blackfoot police officers and the Bingham County deputy coroner responded. Within an hour, Kye’s death was ruled a suicide, his body and the gun were removed from the scene, and all responders were leaving.
Since then, Kye’s mother and father, Stacey and Buff Stephenson, have questioned the haste used by first responders and the quick determination that the case was a suicide. The couple has spent months fighting with public officials to re-examine the case.
During the spring, the Stephensons made some headway. They pushed for an exhumation of Kye’s body and an autopsy, which was done in April.
But in her report following the autopsy, Ada County Forensic Pathologist Christina Di Loreton noted that advanced decomposition made it impossible to determine a different manner of death. The case remains listed as a suicide.
RELATED | Blackfoot man’s manner of death unchanged following exhumation, autopsy
The Stephensons didn’t give up, though. Next, Stacey requested and received a meeting with Blackfoot Mayor Marc Carroll to plead for assistance, not just in her son’s case but for all future cases that will be handled in Blackfoot.
During that conversation, which took place prior to the City Council meeting on Oct. 3, Stacey asked Carroll to compel Blackfoot Police Chief Gordon Croft to reopen the investigation.
“I have acknowledged I do not know know whether my son committed suicide or was the victim of foul play,” Stacey said during the meeting. “All I’ve asked from the beginning is that a proper investigation be done. I went so far as to hire and pay a private investigator to look at the case.”
At the conclusion of their meeting, Carroll requested that private investigator Chris Bertram provide him with a report regarding investigative missteps.
That report, obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, lists several things Bertram — a former police detective with more than 30 years of experience investigating deaths — would like to have seen done differently.
During a previous conversation with EastIdahoNews.com, Bertram discussed the fact that patrol officers were allowed to handle a death investigation, despite his belief that those officers lacked necessary training. Blackfoot Police Capt. Wes Wheatley later confirmed to EastIdahoNews.com that officers on scene had limited death investigation training.
Bertram’s report, which is three pages in bullet point-format, notes several new points of contention he had not addressed in previous conversations with EastIdahoNews.com.
“Someone (?) obviously moved (Kye’s) body onto his back,” the first bullet point says. “Make sure this is noted in a report, why, by whom and what the original observations were before moving the body.”
In police body camera footage obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, Kye’s body is first seen on his side with dirt on both knees and hands. The gun, a revolver Kye recently bought for his wife, Alishia, can be seen roughly a foot from Kye’s right hand, while his left hand is draped over his body another two feet or so from the gun.
The blood, which is pooled behind Kye’s head but also down his torso toward his bellybutton, is proof Kye was not only moved at some point following his death, but that he was upright for some length of time following the gunshot, according to Bertram and a forensic examiner he uses as a consultant.
“After he was shot, (Kye) did not flail around much but he was still alive for a period,” the report says. “I believe the victim, at one point, was upright as evidenced by blood on the front of his shirt and pants, as well as his left side collar.”
A major component Bertram references several times throughout the report is the limited number of photos taken at the scene.
“Take a lot more photos, then a few more,” the report says in one bullet point. “You can never get the first time first again.”
Current Bingham County Coroner Jimmy Roberts, who previously spoke with EastIdahoNews.com about the investigation and was not in office when Kye died, addressed the same concerns regarding a lack of photos. In this case, he said, these were a fraction of the amount of photos he takes in these kinds of situations.
Bertram’s report also mentions the initial report Kye was dealing with emotional distress and mixing alcohol with prescription antidepressants.
This report could not be confirmed during the autopsy and toxicology, which shows no trace of alcohol or antidepressant medication — only caffeine and methanol, which may have been introduced into the system during embalming.
Stacey did say Kye had been prescribed antidepressants years before but had not been taking them.
Still, Bertram notes, one of the officers should have done a pill count “to determine how many pills may have been taken.”
And, the PI continues, an autopsy or toxicology would have confirmed or refuted the claim while also putting “fresh eyes” with a different perspective on the case.
Bertram also questions investigative techniques surrounding the gun.
What he would have liked to have seen in police reports was a detailed log, showing who had access to the gun involved, where it was kept and whether it was locked up. Learning how Kye carried it, if he did, could have led officers to determining if he was carrying it before his death, he added.
As for the interviews at the scene, Bertram notes that witnesses, including the person who reportedly discovered the body, were interviewed in front of other people — family.
“Don’t interview primary witnesses in front of other people,” the report says. “Separate and interview. Ask the tough questions (not accusatory, but informational), but most importantly, get a very detailed timeline of events, even days or weeks prior.”
Along the same lines, Bertram says as few people as possible should have been allowed into the scene — including officers, medical staff and family.
Bertram’s final point is a summation of the investigation, which was handled by patrol officers who did not request assistance from the on-duty detective who would have had death investigation training.
“The Blackfoot Police Department needs to have policies, practices and supervision instilled so intuitional practices during death investigations are not missed and gaps not created in the future,” the Bertram writes. “… The police department should contemplate systemic investigative improvements.”
Carroll told EastIdahoNews.com he has reviewed the report from Bertram and discussed it with Blackfoot Police leadership. However, Carroll says he is still gathering information on the case, and he cannot comment at this time.
Wheatley, the police captain, provided the following statement:
“We’ve recently reviewed the report of ‘investigation issues’ by private investigator Chris Bertram. While we respect his opinion, the evidence at hand continues to support the conclusion that Kye died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We remain open to new evidence leads and will adjust our stance if substantial further information comes to light. The Blackfoot Police Department has made every effort to communicate with all involved parties and will continue to do so.”